Leaders of the 27 other EU member states have agreed on a "no
negotiation without notification" policy — meaning Britain will
not be able to negotiate post-Brexit arrangements until May has
triggered Article 50.

This makes things incredibly awkward for May as Britain will
likely have to enter the two-year negotiation period with no
assurances over what sort of deal it can reach.

Oliver Robbins, a civil servant who is leading Brexit talks, has
met up with the French ambassador and contacted other European
diplomats in an attempt to "sound out" the negotiating position
of European governments.

"Britain is trying to sound out what sort of agreement might be
possible. The European side will not engage until the British
take the first step,” a European diplomat told the Times.

The key issue is whether Britain will be able to retain access to
the European single market without continuing the free movement
of people. This is the deal the British public wants and May has spoken about in the past.

Wolfgang Schauble, Germany's finance minister, said last week
Johnson ought to read the Lisbon Treaty and
understand the "certain connection" between the single market and
free movement of people.

It's for this reason that it's easy to understand why May fears
Britain could face humiliation when it eventually sits down with
EU leaders and tries to negotiate a Brexit which suits both
sides.

If the two sides fail to reach a compromise, May will be left in
a lose-lose situation.

She will either have to deliver a complete departure from the EU
including exit from the single market, dubbed a "hard-Brexit," or
an agreement which sees Britain continue with the free movement
of people. Both of these deals are unpopular with the British public.